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EffectsNew Xotic SP Compressor

Built in the same rugged, compact housing as the SL Drive and EP Boost, the SP Compressor features the same operational transconductance amplifier as the venerable Ross Compressor. On the face of the unit, are controls for Volume, Blend (dry vs. compressed signal), and a three-way (Hi, Lo, Mid) compression toggle switch. Internally, there are four dip switches. Switch one and two control the attack and release times (slow to fast), switch three controls high frequency roll off, and switch four is an input pad - very useful for high-output pickups. Lo(w) settings on the toggle with a slow attack and long release can effectively make the pedal react like a clean boost. A faster attack and release, with a more aggressive compression setting, can yield a squished and slightly pumping signal treatment.

The Blend control effectively gives guitarists and bassists some of the flexibility of a technique that studio engineers have used for years - parallel compression. Sometimes called New York compression, after the New York recording engineers who pioneered the technique, parallel compression is the blending of the dry uncompressed signal, with a compressed version of the same signal on a different channel. This allows you to maintain a sense of dynamics, while adding the punch and envelope shaping to the signal that compression offers. While a single blend control isn't as flexible as two channels on a mixing desk, having even a semblance of this feature on a compact pedal allows the user a much greater amount of control over their sound than a simple on / off function. True bypass. Powered via 9V battery, or 9-18VDC adapter. Proudly made in the U.S.A. $132